gloomy

adjective

ˈglü-mē

gloomier; gloomiest

Synonyms of gloomy next

: partially or totally dark

especially : dismally and depressingly dark

gloomy weather

: having a frowning or scowling appearance : forbidding

a gloomy countenance

: low in spirits : melancholy

: causing gloom : depressing

a gloomy story

a gloomy landscape

: lacking in promise or hopefulness : pessimistic

gloomy prophecies

a gloomy future

gloomily

ˈglü-mə-lē

adverb

gloominess

ˈglü-mē-nəs

noun

Choose the Right Synonym for gloomy

dismal, dreary, bleak, gloomy, cheerless, desolate mean devoid of cheer or comfort.

dismal indicates extreme and utterly depressing gloominess.

dismal weather

dreary, often interchangeable with dismal, emphasizes discouragement resulting from sustained dullness or futility.

a dreary job

bleak suggests chill, dull, and barren characteristics that utterly dishearten.

the bleak years of the depression

gloomy often suggests lack of hope or promise.

gloomy war news

cheerless stresses absence of anything cheering.

a drab and cheerless office

desolate adds an element of utter remoteness or lack of human contact to any already disheartening aspect.

a desolate outpost

sullen, glum, morose, surly, sulky, crabbed, saturnine, gloomy mean showing a forbidding or disagreeable mood.

sullen implies a silent ill humor and a refusal to be sociable.

remained sullen amid the festivities

glum suggests a silent dispiritedness.

a glum candidate left to ponder a stunning defeat

morose adds to glum an element of bitterness or misanthropy.

morose job seekers who are inured to rejection

surly implies gruffness and sullenness of speech or manner.

a typical surly teenager

sulky suggests childish resentment expressed in peevish sullenness.

grew sulky after every spat

crabbed applies to a forbidding morose harshness of manner.

the school's notoriously crabbed headmaster

saturnine describes a heavy forbidding aspect or suggests a bitter disposition.

a saturnine cynic always finding fault

gloomy implies a depression in mood making for seeming sullenness or glumness.

a gloomy mood ushered in by bad news

Examples of gloomy in a Sentence

We've had a week of gloomy weather. The news continues to be gloomy. She doesn't agree with their gloomy economic forecasts. His book paints a gloomy picture of the prospects for peace. I've never seen you looking so gloomy.

Recent Examples on the Web The gloomy clouds over the long-term business potential of TV began to gather before the pandemic, but the COVID-19 disruption coupled with the writers’ and actors’ strikes last year forced the industry to confront difficult issues that are no longer far down the road. —

Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 18 Oct. 2024 That slump comes against a gloomy economic backdrop for China, which is still struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and is beset with inflation and a sluggish property market. —

Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC News, 12 Oct. 2024 While some of us will always feel the temptation to immerse ourselves in the gloomy and supernatural, the more potent form of escapism at play in this revival is nostalgia for the recent past. —

Judy Berman, TIME, 10 Oct. 2024 Detroit Jazz Fest shines through gloomy Labor Day weather This year’s festival also expanded its programming to include free jazz performances at the new state-of-the-art Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center, located on the Wayne State University campus. —

Duante Beddingfield, Detroit Free Press, 5 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for gloomy

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gloomy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.